Requirements

Getting Set Up

To begin, open up Vortex and navigate to the games section. If you don’t already see Kenshi under the “Managed” tab, check the “Discovered” section. Use the “Manage” button on the game tile to add it to your managed games.

The first time you activate support for the game, Windows may prompt you to allow Vortex to make changes to the files on your computer. Accept this prompt to continue.

Installing Mods

For Kenshi, all mods follow a predictable install pattern meaning there are no additional considerations for different types of mods.

To get started you'll need to visit the Nexus Mods page for Kenshi and choose a mod you'd like to download.

On the mod page, there are two buttons that will download the mod directly through Vortex.

The first, in the top right, will download the primary file for this mod immediately. If you'd rather check which file you're downloading, head to the "Files" tab of the mod page and use the "Mod Manager Download" button on the file.

Once the file has downloaded into Vortex, click the "Install" button in the notification or navigate to the "Mods" page and click on the "Never installed" button. Once the installation is complete, the button will change to say "Disabled". Click on it again to enable to mod (or use the button in the notification).

With all mods enabled, you can start the game by pressing the "Play" button on the game art in the top left of Vortex. To verify that your mods are installed, check the mods menu in-game. For new levels, you'll need to speak to the Mafia in the Mail Room of your ship (requires the Ice Hat and 8 Time Pieces to access it).

Troubleshooting

Does Vortex work with the Steam version of A Hat in Time?

Yes. Vortex can install and manage mods for both the Steam and GOG.com versions of the game. Only mods installed from Nexus Mods (or manually dropped into Vortex) will be visible.

Can Vortex manage Steam Workshop mods?

No. Mods installed from Steam Workshop are stored separately and Vortex cannot manage them. If two mods from different sources conflict, the game will tell you on startup. In the event of this happening, the mods installed through Vortex will take priority.

I see the shortcut for Modding Tools on the dashboard, where can I get those?

If you own the Steam version of the game, you can find the Modding Tools under Library > Tools > A Hat in Time - Modding Tools (Found under "H" alphabetically).

At the time of writing, there isn't a way to get the Modding Tools with the GOG version of the game.

I'm getting a security prompt each time I install a mod, can I stop that?

Depending on your settings, Vortex may select "Symlink Deployment (Run as Administrator)" as the default. This is perfectly fine to use but will require you to accept a security prompt from Windows each time you deploy or change your mods.

To avoid this, you may want to go to Settings > Mods and change the deployment method to "Hardlink deployment", then click "Apply". This will require one final security prompt to save the change.